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High and Low (1963 film)

Updated: 12/11/2025, 12:53:37 PM Wikipedia source

High and Low (Japanese: 天国と地獄, Hepburn: Tengoku to Jigoku; lit. 'Heaven and Hell') is a 1963 Japanese police procedural film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It was written by Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Eijirō Hisaita, and Ryūzō Kikushima as a loose adaptation of the 1959 novel King's Ransom by Evan Hunter. Starring Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyōko Kagawa and Tatsuya Mihashi, it tells the story of Japanese businessman Kingo Gondō (Mifune) struggling for control of the major shoe company at which he is a board member. He plans a leveraged buyout of the company with his life savings, when a kidnapper mistakenly abducts his chauffeur's son to ransom him for ¥30 million. The film is viewed as influential on police procedural cinema, and has been remade multiple times internationally. The film was produced by Toho, who bought the rights to Hunter's novel in 1961 for $5,000. Working on a production budget of ¥230 million, filming on High and Low began on 2 September 1962, taking place on location at Yokohama and on set at Toho Studios. Only one attempt could be made to film the ransom exchange. The shoot required multiple cameramen, leading to all other film productions being shut down for the day. Filming ended on 30 January 1963. Kurosawa worked with Masaru Satō to score the film in their eighth collaboration together; the film's soundtrack contains a variety of influences, including mambo, classical, and modern popular music. Post-production took just under a month and, after test-screenings in mid-February 1963, the film received a wide distribution. High and Low was released in Japan on 1 March 1963 and became the highest-grossing film at the Japanese box office for that year. The film received generally positive reviews both domestically and abroad. In September 1963, the film premiered overseas as part of the Official Selection for the Venice Film Festival. The limited American release of the film in late November coincided with the assassination of John F. Kennedy, an event that led to a depression in initial box office takings. High and Low was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globe Awards for 1964. Critical opinion of the film has remained high, with analyses of the film focusing on Kurosawa's humanism in tackling the issue of a growing class divide, the growth of an international consumer culture, and the film's use of structure to interrogate morality and social division.

Infobox

Directed by
Akira Kurosawa
Screenplay by
mw- Hideo Oguni Ryūzō Kikushima Eijirō Hisaita [ja] Akira Kurosawa
Based on
King's Ransomby Evan Hunter
Produced by
Ryūzō Kikushima Tomoyuki Tanaka
Starring
Toshirō Mifune Tatsuya Nakadai Kyōko Kagawa Tatsuya Mihashi
Cinematography
Asakazu Nakai Takao Saitō
Edited by
Akira Kurosawa
Music by
Masaru Satō
Productioncompanies
Kurosawa Films Toho
Release date
1 March 1963 (1963-03-01) (Japan)
Running time
143 minutes
Country
Japan
Language
Japanese
Budget
¥230 million
Box office
¥460.2 million

Tables

· Reception › Awards
Mainichi Film Awards
Mainichi Film Awards
Award
Mainichi Film Awards
Date of ceremony
1963
Category
Best Film
Recipient(s)
High and Low
Result
Won
Best Screenplay
Best Screenplay
Award
Best Screenplay
Date of ceremony
Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Eijirō Hisaita, Ryūzō Kikushima
Venice International Film Festival
Venice International Film Festival
Award
Venice International Film Festival
Date of ceremony
7 September 1963
Category
Golden Lion
Recipient(s)
High and Low
Result
Nominated
Edgar Awards
Edgar Awards
Award
Edgar Awards
Date of ceremony
1964
Category
Best Foreign Film
Recipient(s)
High and Low
Result
Nominated
Golden Globe Awards
Golden Globe Awards
Award
Golden Globe Awards
Date of ceremony
11 March 1964
Category
Foreign Film – Foreign Language
Recipient(s)
High and Low
Result
Nominated
Award
Date of ceremony
Category
Recipient(s)
Result
Ref.
Mainichi Film Awards
1963
Best Film
High and Low
Won
Best Screenplay
Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Eijirō Hisaita, Ryūzō Kikushima
Venice International Film Festival
7 September 1963
Golden Lion
High and Low
Nominated
Edgar Awards
1964
Best Foreign Film
High and Low
Nominated
Golden Globe Awards
11 March 1964
Foreign Film – Foreign Language
High and Low
Nominated

References

  1. Equivalent to ¥142 million in 2019
  2. Equivalent to $52,611 in 2024
  3. Equivalent to ¥1.09 billion in 2019
  4. Equivalent to ¥2.17 billion in 2019
  5. Variety magazine reported $46,800 in ticket sales from Toho Cinema by the end of the film's run in January 1964. Equival
  6. Equivalent to $981,948 in 2024
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